Betriebsräte und Arbeitszufriedenheit

Empirical studies on establishment-level codetermination usually focus on the impact of works councils on firm performance. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, this is the first systematic research to examine the relationship between works councils and job satisfaction. It is shown that the relationship depends on the type of worker. The presence of a works council increases job satisfaction of full-time employed blue-collar workers. In general, councils do not have an influence on full-time employed white-collar workers. However, there is a negative association between works council presence and job satisfaction of managers. Furthermore, the presence of a workers council is associated with lower job satisfaction of non-full-time workers.